Bad Goods Ch 03 Pg 04

Discussion (4)¬

What bothers me most about Cember are that his eyes bulge from his eyestalks. How do they remain clean and protected from airborne irritants and particulate matter? And what happens if an eyestalk gets lopped off? Seems far too easy a target for a blade or the old “sand in the eyes” trick. I expect Ril probably has a 2nd set of eyelids like a frog, we just never see them because they blink really fast. Plus, we saw him close his eyes in the flashback. I don’t recall seeing Cember close his eyes in any way. I know it’s fiction but you wonder about these things.

There are some details I don’t bother figuring out. Some of the physiological stuff I just chalk up to different alien biology. In this case, Cember doesn’t have eyelids, but then maybe his race has some sort of protective film over the eyes that would make eyelids unnecessary. Or there could be very tiny pores around the eyes that constantly puff a bit of air out to keep small debris away from the eyes. Or he has neither, and that’s why his eyes are black: because they’re covered in dirt.

Funny you should mention the possibility of Cember getting an eyestalk lopped off. I’ve toyed with that idea! Not that it will necessarily happen since it’s just one random idea among many. And even if it did, it wouldn’t happen for a good long while. But the possibility has crossed my mind…